How To BuySafe, Affordable Medication (NAPSA)—Good news for an increasing number of Americans is that information on where to get the medication they need at a price they can afford is at their fingertips. Medication costs in the United States continue to rise, making it difficult for many people, espe- cially those on fixed incomes. Consumers who take daily “mainte- nance medications” for such things as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and a variety of other medical conditions can also feel the financial squeeze of high prescription costs. While there are many online pharmacies around the world that sell drugs at significantly reduced prices, they do so with varying degrees of oversight and reliability. So how can consumers know whom to trust? Consider this helpful checklist of five questions that consumers should ask before ordering any medication online: 1) Is the pharmacy licensed and regulated in its home country? 2) Does the pharmacy require a written, signed prescription from the patient’s doctor in order to fill the prescription? 3) Does the pharmacy guarantee patient privacy and confiden- tiality of records and contact information? 4) Are the medications sold made by leading brand-name manufacturers? 5) Does the pharmacy have a licensed pharmacist reviewing orders, and is the pharmacist accessible to patients for questions? “It is possible to find safe, affordable prescription medications online,” says Tim Smith of the You can get information online about buying affordable prescription drugs from a safe, reliable and secure source. Canadian International Pharmacy Association. His organization’s members are licensed retail pharmacies in Canadathat have a wellestablished history of filling mil- lions of U.S. prescriptions a year, at prices up to 80 percent less than those at U.S. pharmacies. “Patient safety is a top priority for licensed and regulated phar- macies,” says Smith. Although his group has a perfect safety record, “numerous unregulated ‘rogue pharmacies’ exist and patients need to use caution by ordering only from trusted sources.” For more information and guidance on ordering safe, affordable prescriptions online, visit www.ciparx.ca or call (204) 453- 6586.
